 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ruthie
Date: 2011-05-27 01:59
The family lore on my grandfather's wood clarinet is that when he emigrated to the US in 1911 from his Austrian Alpine home, not only did he bring his clarinet (V. Kohlert Sohne Graslitz with 7301 below on the bell) but was told to bring his sheet music as he wouldn't like the American music.. LOL.
I am assuming the 7301 is the serial # for this clarinet. On the second joint, the Kohlert stamp is also there but with a C under Graslitz. I am pretty sure this clarinet is in the key of C not B Flat.
Can anyone help me verify that this clarinet is really over 100 years old? BTW, it still plays great! I just keep it oiled
Thank you so much for your help!
Ruthie
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Author: Ruthie
Date: 2011-05-27 05:38
I did some research in old threads on this site about Kohlert ..wow, I am thinking this klarinette is REALLY old! Please note that the mfr stamp says V Kohlert Sohne Graslitz.
My observations:
1) Newer horns (1915 and on) designated the country after the town Graslitz--Bohemia, Czecho-Slavakia and a little later Czechoslavakia. Mine just says Graslitz.
2) Serial # 7301--for a company that started business mid-1800s, this is a remarkably early number, it seems.
Are there records of manufacture timeframes based on serial #s? IOW, can one look up the date of manufacture armed with a serial #?
My granfather was a poor farmer's son--I can't imagine he was able to buy a new instrument. I expect it was probably "old" when he got it--sometime before he came to the US in 1911.
I welcome any and all thoughts! Thank you so much!
Ruthie
Post Edited (2011-05-27 05:41)
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2011-05-28 12:24
The company was founded in 1880 as Vinzent Kohlert & Sohne. Vinzent died in 1900 and the company became V. Kohlert's Sohne. Their instruments at that time were simply marked "V. Kohlert's Sohne, Graslitz". The mark also includes a five pointed star, as I recall. There are no good serial number lists that I have found. However from the serial number you mention it's possible this horn dates to around 1902 - 1903. And then maybe not. After WW2 the company was nationalized by the new Czeckoslovakian government and became Amati. Later the surviving sons relocated to Winnenden in Germany and started production again starting with serial number 1.
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Author: Ruthie
Date: 2011-05-28 21:44
Chris,
Thank you for the reply!
Below is a link to a Kohlert timeline from the saxpics.com site. He said Kohlert company was founded in in 1840 by Vincente F. Kohlert and became Kohlert Sohne app 1900-1901 upon Vincente's death. For a man to live 75+ years at that time is amazing, at the least and so I wonder if your startup time of 1880 isn't closer to reality...
I also wonder how many horns could be manufactured per year at the turn of the century during this era of the Industrial revolution...hundreds or thousands?
http://www.saxpics.com/?v=man&manID=11
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Author: Ruthie
Date: 2011-05-28 21:48
Chris,
Thank you for the reply!
Below is a link to a Kohlert timeline from the saxpics.com site. He said Kohlert company was founded in in 1840 by Vincente F. Kohlert and became Kohlert Sohne app 1900-1901 upon Vincente's death. For a man to live 75+ years at that time is amazing, at the least and so I wonder if your startup time of 1880 isn't closer to reality...
I also wonder how many horns could be manufactured per year at the turn of the century during this era of the Industrial revolution...hundreds or thousands? Ih Kohlert Sohne started in 1900, then your est of 1902 or so may be spot on.
Thank you for your input!
Ruthie
http://www.saxpics.com/?v=man&manID=11
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2011-05-30 03:22
I'm pretty sure about the 1880 and 1900 dates. I'll stick with 1902/1903 as the date for your clarinet, absent evidence to the contrary. Kohlert made a variety of brass and wood winds and were one of the largest companies in Graslitz/Kraslice so a serial number in the seven thousand range is quite possible. There were other Kohlerts too (it was a large family with some ramifications) in Graslitz - maybe one of them started a company in 1840.
BTW: since your relative brought this with him from Austria, is it an Oehler clarinet or a Boehm?
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Author: Ruthie
Date: 2011-06-01 00:33
Oehler? the kind with the rolled keys like saxes have and fewer pinky keys. I understand in my few days' research that Boehm is more likely to be found in French instruments, such as Noblet, and older German-made instruments are much more likely to be Oehler/Albert sytem. Do I understand that correctly?
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